Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Santaquin than in 75% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Santaquin gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #88 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (47%), then earthquakes (28%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Santaquin faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Santaquin’s grade
Wildfire is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Santaquin, and Santaquin’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 28% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #88 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Santaquin’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Santaquin has more expected damage per building than 74% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.9M a year in losses across Santaquin: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Santaquin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Santaquin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Santaquin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Utah County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Santaquin
Disasters that paid out in Santaquin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Santaquin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Flooding$161K to the City of Santaquin for repairs
Utah County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Utah County, 2001–2026.
Old photos of Santaquin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Santaquin archive →Santaquin and its neighbors
Santaquin has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santaquin | C−more damage than 75% | wildfire | 0 |
| West Mountain | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | — |
| Genola | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
| Spring Lake | — | 657 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Santaquin faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Santaquin
Is Santaquin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Santaquin has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #88 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (47%) and earthquakes (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Santaquin in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Utah County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Santaquin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Santaquin’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Santaquin?
By FEMA money that reached Santaquin, Flooding (2023): $161K to the City of Santaquin for repairs.
Is Santaquin at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Santaquin’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Santaquin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Santaquin’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.